


Born of Snow

by UnrememberedLegend



Series: Born of Snow [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Angst, Dragons, Other, Skyrim Civil War, Tamriel, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:25:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6579289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnrememberedLegend/pseuds/UnrememberedLegend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Empire killed her parents because they were Stormcloaks. Was their death the fault of the Empire or Ulfric Stormcloak? This was something Krinya had been contemplating all her life. Faced with impossible decisions, a woman driven by vengeance must decide what's more important - avenging the death of her parents or saving the world. But when an old friend reappears, things get complicated and everything goes to hell. It's up to Krinya to clean up the mess she makes. </p><p>Follows the civil war quest line and loosely follows the main quest line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Innocent Blood

**Author's Note:**

> This is a new fic that I wrote last summer and never got round to finishing, I'm still writing the last few chapters but its more or less completed. I'll post the first two chapters together but afterwards I will (hopefully) be uploading a new chapter every week.
> 
> I'll also be putting this fic on Wattpad later on so look out for that.
> 
> I get most of my creative inspiration from music so I'll post the song name if there was a song in particular that I listened to while writing. Anyway, this is the first chapter and I hope you enjoy!

_**[FLASHBACK]** _

"Papa when can I have my own _real_ sword?" The little girl stood by her father in the armoury, swinging her wooden sword at her imaginary sparring partner.

"When your older, sweet. You keep practising and one day you'll be the bravest and strongest warrior the world has ever seen!" The girl's father swooped in front of her, grabbing another wooden sword from the small weapon rack beside him and pointing it towards his daughter. "But I can't give you a real steel sword until you know your stuff." He said proudly. "Show me your stance."

The little girl reluctantly stopped what she was doing and sighed, slumping her arms down by her sides before lifting them again and unenthusiastically demonstrating her fighting stance, giving her father an unimpressed look. "See, I know how to stand."

"But do you know how to fight?" The father retorted and started swinging his wooden sword at his daughter. Blocking her fathers attacks, the little girl became frantic.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed.

"You'll need a real sparring partner if you want to learn how to fight properly, little one."

The girl gave a challenging smirk at her father and started attacking back. The two of them, running around in the armoury sparring for hours. It was her favourite pass time.

"You'll need to try harder than that if you want to beat me!" The girl laughed as she lunged towards her attacker. Her father fell to the floor and the girl immediately jumped on top of him, pointing her sword at his throat.

"I win." She smiled, before thrusting the wooden weapon underneath her father's arm. He let out an exaggerated groan before letting his head go limp and closing his eyes, pretending to be dead.

The girl grew worried. "Papa?" She called for him quietly, putting her sword down and walking closer to her father. She bent down, putting her head on his chest to listen for a heartbeat. The girl jumped as the man got up and picked up his daughter, spinning her around and growling like a monster.

"You tricked me!" The girl giggled.

"It was too easy." Her Nord father let out a loud, booming laugh, making the girl smile even more.

Laughing, giggling, chasing each other. There was nothing the little girl liked better than spending time with her father, he was her best friend. She closed her eyes and embraced the moment, feeling nothing but joy and happiness. Nothing else in Nirn mattered, only her and her father. The display cases and the weapon racks all seemed to blur together, the only thing that was clear was her fathers smiling face as he watched his daughter laugh. He thought it was the best feeling in the world.

Though the mood quickly changed, and there was a sudden feeling of dread when they were interrupted by a door being knocked of its hinges. A panicked shriek came from her mother downstairs. The father looked towards the stairs in concern, and then looked back at his daughter, grabbing her arm and dragging her to the bedroom that was next to the armoury, he kneeled down, gripping her shoulders tightly with his strong hands and looked her straight in the eye.

"Hide under the bed Krinya. Hide and don't come out no matter what happens, you understand?"

The girl didn't respond, she only stood with a frightened look on her face. A look that broke her father's heart.

"Do you understand? He asked again, his voice soft but it was obvious he was afraid. "Don't come out sweetheart. Stay under there until you can't hear any noises, okay?"

The girl stiffly nodded and crawled under the bed, her father pushing her along to make sure she was completely under. The man lay on his chest on the floor and looked at his child hiding under the bed with eyes filled with terror and leaking with tears.

"Don't be scared, sweet." He wiped the tears from his daughters cheeks. "Don't come out and everything will be okay."

He paused. "I love you."

Krinya didn't have a chance to respond before her father pulled down the bedsheets so she was out of sight, pulled himself up and ran downstairs.

It was dark and the little girl clutched her wooden sword tight, trying not to breathe too loud. The sound of swords being unsheathed and unfamiliar voices filled the house.

"What's going on?" Her father's voice was quieter now that he was downstairs, but she could still hear him, he sounded scared. Krinya had never seen her father scared before. The voices of strangers in her house made the little girl feel uneasy, but she listened carefully, trying to keep up with what was going on downstairs. 

 

* * *

"Frendar and Genevieve Snow-Born?" The Imperial officer questioned, looking Frendar - the little girls father - in the eye.

"Yes?" He replied, looking at his wife questioningly.

You have committed crimes against Skyrim and her people." The authoritative voice of an Imperial soldier spoke. "What say you in your defence?"

"Crimes?! What crimes? We have done nothing!" Her father's voice grew frantic. "I don't understand."

"You chose the wrong side Frendar." A soft, yet masculine voice came from outside the door and a figure dressed in black emerged from the doorway. Frendar didn't have to see his face to realise who it was. The hooded Thalmor robes were enough for him. The high elf pulled the hood from his head and smiled at the Nord man.

"Hello, old friend."

 

* * *

Krinya lay under the bed as she listened to the chaos unfold. The sound of her mother screaming her fathers name struck fear into the little girls heart. The loud bashing of chairs being knocking over and terrified screams made Krinya shiver.  _Don't cry. Be brave_. She couldn't hear her fathers voice anymore. It had stopped, leaving only the grunts and screams of her mother to fill her head. Krinya let go of her sword and pushed her hands tightly over her ears in an attempt to block out as much sound as possible. She squeezed her eyes shut.

It was cold and dark under the bed, but now she had closed her eyes, that darkness had become even darker and Krinya was struggling to keep in her tears.  _Don't come out and everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. Don't be scared._  Moments passed, and soon enough, the faint sounds that the little girl couldn't block out had stopped. Hesitantly, she uncovered her ears and opened her eyes.

_Silence._

_Stay there until you can't hear any noises._  Her fathers voice echoed in her head as Krinya lifted the bedsheets and crawled out, making her way out of the master bedroom, past the armoury and down the stairs; the deafening silence was broken by the creaking of the rusted wooden steps. Krinya made her way down the rest of the steps and creeped into the main room, making sure to be silent just in case there was anyone there.

The front door had been left wide open, but the faint tweeting of birds and the usual mumbles from the streets of Solitude made it look like nothing had happened. The inside, however, proved otherwise. The living area was a wreck. The fireplace was unlit and the logs for the fire that were kept in a neat pile by the fire had been knocked over. Tankards had been knocked from the small table by the fire, papers, notes, letters and books had been knocked off the bookshelf. Her mothers favourite vase was now shattered and a thousand tiny pieces of shiny glass were now scattered all over the floor, as if they were daring Krinya to try and walk over the mess. The kitchen was in ruins, stools had been knocked over, cheese wheels that were once on the dining table were now destroyed on the floor, cooking pots, still fresh with soup that her mother was presumably making before... _before what? What happened here?_  Krinya remembered hearing her mother struggling.  _Get off me. Let go._

The little girl walked through the chaotic mess, looking for something, anything to give her a clue to what just happened and where her parents were. Trudging across the pile of books on the floor and chairs laying on their sides, Krinya noticed something glistening in the corner of her eye and she turned around to see what it was. An Imperial officers helmet. She walked towards it and picked it up to examine it.  _What were Imperial soldiers doing here? Did they take my parents?_  Fear, mixed with anger took over Krinya and she began to frantically search the room for something more, some indication to where they could've taken her mother and father.

In the far right corner of the room, Krinya noticed something, but with all the mess that surrounded it she couldn't quite tell what it was. She took a few steps towards it until she could make out its shape. Krinya stopped in her tracks when she realised, she had walked close enough. It was her father, laying face down on the ground.  _Maybe its not him, maybe its an officer_. Krinya swallowed, pushing down the forming lump in her throat as she walked closer towards the body. Now noticing the clothes, the detailing in of the belt, the worn leather boots, the tunic - now stained with small drops of red. They were  _his_  clothes.

"Papa?" Krinya managed to speak. She now stood only inches from the body, but she waited. She waited for him to get up and pick her up and spin her around like he did before. It was just another trick. He wasn't  _dead._

"Papa, get up." She spoke again, her voice became less calm and the undertone of desperation was not longer hidden.

"Get up!"

Tears filled her eyes. Not able to wait any longer, Krinya dropped by her fathers body and turned him over. With one glance upon his face, she immediately burst into tears.  _No no no no no no, gods no!_

His throat was slit. The cut was deep and long and his tunic was still damp with his blood. His mouth was partially open, and blood was still leaking out of it and dripping down from his chin. His eyes were open and they still looked panicked and scared.

Krinya's face was buried into her hands, which - upon touching her father - were now stained with blood. Her long white hair which had dipped into the pool of blood on her father's chest was now tainted at the tips with dried blood.

She couldn't stand to look at him again. This was something she never wanted to see. She never knew this was something she would ever even have to see, she knew her parents were supporters of Ulfric, but they were no Stormcloak soldiers. They never did anything wrong.

The distant sound of voices shouting orders caught Krinya's attention. Fretfully, she looked up at the open door to see a group of Imperial soldiers walking towards the house

Krinya panicked, _they're going to kill me too._  She looked around for somewhere to hide, then looked back at her dead father.  _Maybe I should let them._

Krinya thought about it for a second before realising her mother wasn't here. _Maybe she's not dead. I need to find her._

The soldiers were getting closer and Krinya knew she had to act quick. She looked at her father once more.  _Be strong little one_. Her fathers words replayed over and over in her head, giving her strength. _One day you'll be the bravest and strongest warrior the world has ever seen._

She gently pulled her fathers eyelids down. _I love you_. She thought to herself.  _I'm going to find mother, don't worry. I'll look after her._  Krinya stood up and turned toward the kitchen when she hesitated. Running back to her father, she crouched down beside him and lifted a blood stained amulet of Talos from his neck and put it around hers. Running back towards the kitchen, she opened the back door and looked back on the mess she was about to leave behind. The Imperial soldiers were nearly at the doorstep, she couldn't linger any longer. Krinya turned away and slid through the back door, unknowing that that was the last home she would ever have.


	2. Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Empire killed her parents because they were Stormcloaks. Was their death the fault of the Empire or Ulfric Stormcloak? This was something Krinya had been contemplating all her life. Faced with impossible decisions, a woman driven by vengeance must decide what's more important - avenging the death of her parents or saving the world. But when an old friend reappears, things get complicated and everything goes to hell. It's up to Krinya to clean up the mess she makes. 
> 
> Follows the civil war quest line and loosely follows the main quest line.

_**[20 YEARS LATER]** _

Krinya struggled to lift her head in the light of the mornings sun. _Where am I?_ She swallowed, her throat dry and burning with dehydration. _Gods, my head is throbbing._ Her eyelids were heavy with lack of sleep and struggled to open against the sudden exposure to sunlight. Squinting, she looked down at her hands, at first, all she could see was blurry shapes - different shades of brown and green collided into one another. Krinya closed her eyes and opened them again, trying to clear her vision and eventually, her surroundings began to take form. Krinya's armour was gone, her knapsack and weapons were also missing, instead she was dressed in ragged clothing - a brown scratchy tunic with matching trousers and foot wraps. Shifting around in her seat uncomfortably, Krinya glanced down at her hands and realised they were bound tightly with thick ropes. _Whoever tied me up wanted to make sure I couldn't get away,_ she thought while making a poor attempt to free herself. Krinya's eyes took a while to adjust to the brightness when she looked up, but once her vision cleared, she noticed the tall trees that towered over her and the large crags behind them. Small amounts of shrubbery - withered flowers and dried grass - paved the path ahead of her. _Am I-?_

The early morning mist clouded the magnificent snowy mountains in the distance. _Skyrim_.

Krinya grew suspicious and afraid. _I thought I got away. No, no they can't be taking be back_. She quickly grew panicked and frantically tried to free herself from the ropes.

"Woah, woah. Careful, you'll hurt yourself."

The voice snapped Krinya out of her trance. She stopped and looked up at the man who addressed her - a muscley Nord man with neatly groomed golden hair wearing mail was staring at her. _A soldier?_ She examined the man and noticed his hands were bound by the same ropes that bound hers. He smiled at her in a poor attempt to calm her down.

"Are you alright?" He asked, a genuine look of concern in his eyes.

Krinya swallowed, she was not alright. She was far from it, but she couldn't gather the strength to answer. _How long was I unconscious?_

Krinya examined what was going on around her. The sound of hoof beats on cobblestone and the occasional snorting of horses were the only things she could hear, save from the mumbling of prisoners in wagons behind her. There were three other people in the cart with her - prisoners, like herself, though only one of them - along with Krinya - was in rags.

She closed her eyes and for a moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of serenity as she breathed in the crisp, cold air. _I'm back._ The ghost of a smile formed on her face. For a moment, she forgot her circumstances, she forgot what had happened to her, how she ended up on the cart. What she did before...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Nord man who sat across from her. "You were trying to cross the boarder, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."

_Imperials_. Krinya's last memories came swarming back to her, harsh and relentless. She stiffened her back, remembering what she had done to get here.

"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine before you came along. Empire was nice and lazy." A man in rags spoke now, addressing the Nord soldier, his voice filled with spite. "If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and be halfway to Hammerfell."

_Seems I'm not the only one who was in the wrong place at the wrong time._

The horse thief now turned to Krinya, trying to get her attention, "you there, you and me - we shouldn't be here. Its these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." Krinya didn't answer, he was right - she was no Stormcloak, but the Empire definitely wanted her.

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." The Nord man held no hatred for the thief - surprisingly enough. Nord soldiers are known for their overwhelming sense of honour - something that thieving had non of.

Krinya's head was starting to feel clearer and less heavy. She'd never felt so awake, the freezing air of the Father Land always felt so cleansing to her, it was as if whenever she'd breathe it in, a weight would be taken from her shoulders. She missed the snow and the cold breeze, the massive mountains that loomed over her. She missed Skyrim, even if she never thought she would.

 Krinya looked again and appreciated who she was placed on a cart with. A soldier, a thief and-

_Who's that?_

The man who sat beside her was a powerfully build Nord man, older than the soldier - who sat opposite her - but no less strong. He wore a fur lined robe and unlike the other prisoners, his mouth had been covered by a rag. _Why did they gag him?_ Krinya thought to herself, unconsciously staring at the man. _Maybe he's a biter_. If the circumstances were different, Krinya would've smirked at her remark.

The nobleman had his head down but his eyes were open, his gaze was cold and distant.

Ignoring the Imperials commands to stop talking, the horse thief spoke again, as if he had read her mind. "What's wrong with him?" He motioned his head towards the gagged Nord.

"Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." The Soldier retorted in defence.

_Ulfric Stormcloak_. Krinya dug her nails into her palms, trying to control herself. _Its him. Gods, If I had my hands I'd kill him right here in front of his comrade._

 

* * *

 

All the voices were just that. Voices. Sounds. Noise. He couldn't concentrate on the words, the conversations that were going on around him were nothing more than mumbles sounding like he was underwater. His thoughts clouded his mind as he sat staring into nothingness, full of regret, though upon mention of his name, Ulfric turned his gaze to the horse thief, not with hatred or anger, but with a sorrowful look in his eyes.

" _Ulfric_? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion." The horse thief slowly realised the severity of the situation. "But if they've captured you...Oh _gods_ , where are they taking us?"

Ulfric always seemed to think he had a lot of admirers, he hardly left the gates of his city - almost everyone there loved him and were proud Stormcloaks. Now all he could think of was how much damaged he had caused. Its his fault all these soldiers had been captured, its his fault that this lowly thief was caught up in his mess.

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."

_Ralof,_ Ulfric smiled under his gag, _he's a damn good man._ He was glad to have him by his side at this moment.

To his left was a woman. Her slim body and pale skin were not common characteristics for a Nord, but her hair made it clear she was. Under the sunlight, it was so light, at first he thought it was blonde, but he soon realised that her hair was white. Not the kind of white one grows with age, but the purest white, unlike anything he'd ever seen before, like freshly fallen snow.

She was beautiful, it was as if she had been sent down from the gods themselves. Ulfric lifted his gaze to meet the eyes of the woman who sat beside him, but to his surprise, they did not reflect the radiant beauty of her pale skin and light hair - instead they were dark and filled with spite. Her unforgiving gaze was fixed on him. Her eyes fuelled with hatred. Her black eyeshadow made her eyes look even more dark, even more harsh. Her arm was exposed and showed a large scar which trailed on from her shoulder to her elbow. It was still fresh and it looked as though it would burn if you touched it.

Ulfric deserted his gaze and looked back down only to be consumed by more thoughts. _The hatred in her eyes, I know that look. I've had that look._

 

* * *

 

_Look at him, staring at me like I'm some toy to be played with_. Krinya's thoughts turned sour when she felt Ulfric's gaze upon her. _Gods, why isn't he dead? How many of his soldiers have died in his place? Good men, fighting for a righteous cause, led by an evil man. It's not right._ Krinya let her head fall as the cart approached the gates.

She listened to the conversation between the soldier and the thief.

"Hey, what village are you from horse thief?" The soldier questioned, sympathetically.

"Why do you care"

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

_Home. I don't even know what that means anymore. I spent six years trying to find one, now I'm here...right back where I stared._ Krinya felt the impending doom of death waiting for her. _Sovngarde waits for good men who die with swords in their hands._ Krinya scoffed, _Sovngarde isn't for me then. I'm far from honourable. Far from good. Not like my parents_. Krinya pushed the lump that was rising in her throat back down and looked up.

"General Tullius, sir." A voice called from a distance, "the headsman is waiting."

Everyone in the cart seemed to look up in that moment and set there eyes on General Tullius, who sat proudly on his horse talking to a well presented high elf, who was also on horseback.

"Look at him. General Tullius, the military governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves, I bet they had something to do with this"

_The Thalmor are here? Gods, no... They're here for me._ Krinya felt herself becoming panicked again, but that feeling quickly faded and was soon replaced by a calm sorrow. She had not made peace with her death, but she definitely wasn't afraid of it.

"Why are we stopping?" The horse thief asked with a panicked undertone.

Krinya observed her surroundings. They were in a quaint little town, if she remembered correctly, they were in Helgen. _Too good a town for executions to take place,_ her thoughts trailed off... _But just as good as any to die._

"Why do you think? End of the line." The Nord man replied as the cart came to a hault. He stood up and pushed his shoulders back.

"Lets go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." The soldier grabbed the horse thief by the arm and pulled him up, forcing him out of the cart.

"No! Wait! We're not rebels!" The thief protested, struggling against the Nord's grip.

"Face your death with some courage thief." The soldier pushed him gently pushed him out.

Krinya jumped off the cart, nearly falling down - she grabbed the side of it to keep her balance.

"Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!" The authoritative voice of the captain caused the Stormcloak soldiers to fall silent. Krinya scoffed, _Empire loves their damn lists._

Next to the captain was a Nord in Imperial light armour holding a clipboard. He glanced at the list before calling the first name.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

The Stormcloak soldiers bowed their heads to him in respect as he walked past.

"It has been an honour, Jarl Ulfric" The man who sat with her in the cart murmured.

_Its a shame I didn't have the chance to kill him myself_. Krinya thought, her gaze set on Ulfric.

The Nord with the list made a note before calling out the second name.

"Ralof of Riverwood."

The Soldier who had sat opposite Krinya in the cart nodded at her as if to say goodbye, before following Ulfric towards the chopping block where the other prisoners had also gathered.

The third name was called out.

"Lokir of Rorikstead"

"No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" The horse thief - Lokir - pleaded frantically for them to let him go, but by the unimpressed look on the captains face, Lokir knew he had gotten his answer. _Don't do it._ Krinya knew the look on his face. _Don't-_

The horse thief shot into a sprint down the cobblestone path in the direction from whence they came.

"HAULT!" The Imperial captain ordered, surprised by his sudden action.

"You're not gonna kill me!" The thief shouted back as he ran, his hands still in binds. _Overconfidence gets you killed._

"Archers!" The captain shouted her orders but kept her calm front. Four arrows shot into Lokir's back and with a groan, he instantly fell to the floor. _Gods, how could someone be so stupid_. Krinya pitied him, but this only made her hate the Legion even more.

"Anyone else feel like running?" The captain looked Krinya in the eye with a cold look on her face. The Nord with the list had been staring down at it until this point, Krinya looked at him impatiently as he looked back at her and then back at the clipboard. _By the nine, can we just get this over with?_ The Nord looked up at Krinya once more.

"Wait, you there. Step forward." He ordered in a friendlier tone than his companion. "Who are you?"

Krinya stepped forward with her held held high and stood before the captain and her comrade with the list. Looking the Imperial captain dead in the eye, Krinya spoke but she addressed the Nord.

"Krinya." She paused. "SnowBorn."

"Ah, the traitor girl." The captain laughed.

"I'm no traitor" Krinya spoke under her breath, the captain heard and shot her a sour look, but before she could retort, the Nord with the list spoke.

"You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, kinsman." He almost sounded like he felt sympathy towards her.

"I'm not a man." Krinya spoke to the Nord now, her voice low and cold.

Clearing his throat, the Nord shifted around awkwardly before correcting himself. "Kinswoman."

The captain rolled her eyes, "That's enough time wasted, traitor. Step towards the block." She commanded.

Krinya tuned around slowly but not without a cold look aimed at the captain, she walked off to stand by Ralof with the other prisoners. She stared at the chopping block, _funny that after all I've been through to stay alive, I'm back where i started - staring death in the face._

Krinya shot a smile at Ralof who, upon realising she was standing next to him, nudged her with his shoulder and made a sorry attempt to lighten the mood.

"Look at us, lining up for a public execution. This is no way to get ahead in life..." The Nord shot Krinya an amused look and let out a short lived laugh. _No way to get a head. Funny._

A number of spectating villagers had gathered to watch the executions as if it was a form of entertainment. They all stared at the heir of the Great Bear of Eastmarch - who was standing in the centre of the crowd, Krinya had never seen such an attentive audience. General Tullius made his way to the centre and stood before Ulfric Stormcloak, hands still bound and mouth still gagged.

"Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." The General began. _I'm no fan of Ulfric but even I know he beat the High King in fair combat._

Ulfric grunted in response, the rag over his mouth restricted his voice.

The General continued:

"You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace." A pause. "And quite frankly, you've been a pain in my arse for far too long. Let's get this over with."

A low roar came from the mountains in the distance, as if it was mimicking Ulfric's thoughts.

"What was that?" The Nord who had called out the names tightened his grip on his sword. Everyone, even Ulfric looked up into the sky in concern.

Dismissing the strange noise that came from the mountains, General Tullius continued. "Nothing, carry on."

"Yes General Tullius," the Imperial captain saluted. "Give them their last rites." She spoke to a priestess of Arkay, who in turn, lifted her hands and began giving the rites.

"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved..."

The priestess was interrupted by a Stormcloak prisoner who walked towards the chopping block with speed. "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." _Eager to die._

The red haired Stormcloak kneeled before the chopping block, and the captain showed no mercy on the man when she placed her foot on his back and pushed him down with more force than necessary.

His neck exposed to the freshly sharpened axe, the soldier spoke again, showing no fear of death. "My ancestors are smiling down at me Imperials. Can you say the same?" Sticking up for his cause even seconds before death. Not one doubt that he'd made the wrong choice or chose the wrong side. Krinya admired him for that.

The headsman brought his axe up over his head and with strength, speed and force - he brought it down onto the soldiers neck, his head rolled helplessly into the basket and his limp body twitched for a few seconds before flopping down onto the ground.

Several villagers shouted hateful words towards the Stormcloaks, but the soldiers paid no attention.

"As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof bowed his head in respect.

Krinya didn't have time to dwell on what just happened for almost immediately, the captain called for the "Nord in the rags" to step towards the block. Looking around at the people who surrounded her, Krinya realised she was the only one in rags. _That must be me then._

Ralof shot Krinya a sorrowful look. _No one deserves an end like this, no matter what they had done before,_ he thought to himself.

Krinya walked towards to chopping block, _there's no point struggling now_. She looked around, _there's way to many guards for me to evade. I'm not Lokir but I know I'd have a better chance then him - avoiding people hunting me is what i do best_. Thinking about doing about it for a second more, she realised that there was no opportunity to take, so not without apprehension, Krinya stepped towards the headsman and kneeled down, laying her head on the block and looking right at him.

The sound came again, only it was louder - like a hurricane, it echoed down from the mountains and shook the ground, causing a number of guards and spectating villagers to let out a shriek while everybody else grew noticeably uneasy. The magnificent strong trees below the mountains creaked and shivered at the rumbling growl and in that moment, they didn't seem so magnificent. The wind changed direction and the air turned uncomfortably warm. Krinya breathed heavily, the hot hair burning her lungs and making her cough.

"Its in the mountains!" Someone called out. A dozen people looked up towards the mountain, including Krinya. A shadow swooped along the mountain side but the shape was something Krinya had never seen before. Tensions were growing high but the headsman had a job to do, and noises from the mountains were not enough to stop him.

"Head down, _prisoner_." He seemed to spit out the sentence as if he had a personal vendetta against her. Without mercy, he placed his axe on Krinya's neck, making sure he could get a clean hit. The familiar coldness of the blade against her skin made Krinya's back shiver.

He brought the axe above his head and breathed in, summoning all his strength he readied himself to bring the axe down. Krinya didn't close her eyes, she watched him, eyes on the axe the was about decapitate her. A gruesome end, even for Krinya. _It's okay._ She spoke only to herself. "I'll be unremembered"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for that terrible beheading pun. You have the right to throw stones at me.


	3. The Desolation of Helgen.

Black and jagged and sinister. A shape that their minds could not comprehend. The sky, once bright and cloudless was now red with dark clouds covering the sun. Balls of fire shot down from the hellish sky above them, crashing into buildings, letting them crumble down into nothing. Where there was once a crowd of people, there was  now only ash and bones. Burnt corpses. Blood. Screaming. All around them was death. An inferno. Half the town was already in ruins.

Her vision was blurred, she must've hit her head against the chopping block when it landed. A kaleidoscope of yellow, red and orange claimed her vision, still flashes of white and black made her eyes burn. The ringing in her ears blocked out the screams from around her but before she could realise what was going on, a strong hand grabbed her by the arm and yanked her upwards. Suddenly feeling her wrists become unbound, the change made her lose her balance but before she fell, she was picked up again.

Putting her arm around his shoulder, he grabbed her waist and ran towards a nearby building. The warm air was now burning and she struggled to breathe.

Closing the door behind him, Ulfric lay the woman down by the stone stairs and knelt over his knees, trying to get his breath back.

He looked back at the woman in concern. Ulfric grabbed her cheeks and lifting her head up to see if her eyes were open. "Are you okay?" he spoke between coughs. No reply. He let go and her head flopped back down.

"Get me some water!" He ordered to no one in particular. In the room with him there were a dozen Stormcloak soldiers, some were frantically walking around trying to figure out what to do and some were tending to the injured. It didn't seem so chaotic inside in contrast to what was going on outside the stone walls.

"Here." Ralof approached Ulfric with a worried look on his face and handed him a flask of water. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I don't know." Ulfric spoke quietly. Even though he knew that this woman was not one of his soldiers and was sure she had nothing to do with his cause, he still felt as though her fate was on his shoulders, that everyone who died that day somehow died because of him.

Lifting her chin up with his middle and index finger, Ulfric gently poured some of the water into the woman's mouth.

Coughing out the water, Krinya opened her eyes and squinted, _what's happening?_ She moved her hands to her sides and pulled herself up so she was sitting upright, she  tried to speak but no sound came out. A wave of pain rushed through her head causing her to close her eyes tightly and inhale sharply. She could feel the brightness from behind her closed eyelids and decided to keep them shut until her headache passed.

A sigh of relief came from Ralof. He had not known the woman for long but was already fond of her, _she would make a fine Stormcloak._

"Drink."

Krinya could hear the deep voice of the man helping her but she couldn't see who it was. Obeying his orders, she let him give her more water and this time she swallowed. She closed her eyes and drank more - the cool water soothed her throat and cleared her head and she quickly regained her full consciousness. Pushing the flask of water away from her face, the man understood and put the flask on the floor next to him and stared at the woman. She sat up and looked around to see where she was and who was kneeled in front of her.

Ulfric noticed her eyes were open now, but still, he avoided contact with them. Turning away from the woman, Ulfric spoke again. "She's going to be okay, but you need to get her out of here Ralof. Get her out now."

"Was that really what I thought it was? Could the legends be true?" Ralof ignored Ulfric's orders, his mind going through all the possible explanations of what was out there, what was burning down homes and turning villagers into dust.

Helping the woman up onto her feet, Ulfric set his gaze upon Krinya but spoke gratingly to his comrade. "Legends don't burn down villages."

* * *

 Krinya felt disgusted by the fact she had let Ulfric Stormcloak help her, but she had no choice in the matter. She didn't know what was going on but she knew she had to get out. He knew more about what was out there than she did.

 

Ulfric shouted more orders to Ralof. "Go up through the tower, get yourselves to safety, I'll be right behind you." Turning towards Krinya, he spoke in a quieter tone than before. "Don't die."

* * *

 Krinya dashed through the spiralling staircase, Ralof at her tail. There was a massive gaping hole in the wall at the top and large stones blocked the rest of the stair well. They couldn't go any further up the stairs so Krinya turned her attention to the hole and looked back at Ralof in confusion. _How could this have happened?_

Dismissing the look of bewilderment on her face and the prominent look in her eyes that marked her desire to know what had happened, Ralof stuck to the orders that were given to him -to get to safety, and they definitely weren't there yet. He shouted up to Krinya. "See that Inn on the other side?"

Krinya looked outside and searched for the Inn Ralof was talking about - it was hard to find for all that was in her sight were ruined buildings, everything looked the same. Analysing every construction in sight, her eyes landed upon the Inn. It was right below the tower and its roof had been crumbled down into itself, the walls were black as if they had been burnt and the floors looked like they were a thousand years old. She looked at Ralof in conformation.

"Jump through the roof and get to the other side. I'll follow you down when I can." With that, Ralof turned around, heading back to Ulfric to see if he was ready to leave.

"WAIT!" Krinya called, surprised by her sudden ability to speak. "What's out there?"

There was an uncomfortable pause before Ralof answered, as though he was wondering whether or not he should tell her. Concern took over Krinya's face and she made little to no effort to hide it.

Then he spoke:

"Dragon." He said grimly before heading back down the stairs.

* * *

 The fall was longer than she had anticipated but she made it into the Inn without much difficulty. Looking back up to the hole in the wall that she had just jumped from, she lingered for a moment in hope that Ralof would jump down and they could go on together, but the dragons bellows were getting louder and the vibrations in the floor were becoming more intense, she knew she couldn't stick around any longer. Looking around for a way to get out of the building, Krinya noticed that she was on the second floor of the Inn and that the stairs had fallen into itself, leaving only a crumbled pile of stone where it once stood. The wall below had been all but destroyed but left a hole more than big enough for her to run through, all that stood in her way was rubble and stone.

Sprinting down the rusted floor, Krinya jumped down to the first, the impact of her landing caused small clouds of brown dust to erupt from beneath her feet. There were a number of desecrated corpses that hardly resembled something that was once a person, and some lone limbs in the room with her. _When the ceiling fell, they must've been underneath_.

Pushing back the lump rising in her throat, Krinya made for the hole in the wall and darted out of the ruined Inn before any more of it collapsed. She broke into a sprint and ran down the small cobblestone path. A sudden feeling of exposure made Krinya feel uneasy, no longer being isolated with only four walls to speak to and free from the confines of binds and chains was an unfamiliar sensation and she wasn't sure if she enjoyed the feeling or not. She could run in any direction she wished and nothing could stop her. Krinya knew standing around was a foolish idea, she didn't dare to look up to search for the dragon for the sight of it was perilous, the shadows on the ground would tell her if it was about to burn her alive from above. She wiped her current thoughts from her mind and concentrated on escaping. Following the cobblestone path, Krinya felt her breath becoming shallow, she couldn't go on for much longer. She hadn't eaten in days, the only drink she had had in weeks was the water Ulfric gave to her. She could hardly walk straight, let alone run from a town full of enemies. Stopping for a brief moment, Krinya knelt over, gasping for air. Hands on her knees, she slowly caught her breath and looked around and tried to figure out where the paths led, she knew her way around Helgen but it had been a years since she was last there, she'd spend most of her life there before _they_ came after her again; she had never expected her return to be like this.

A cosmic shadow came over Krinya, blocking off the sun, the blazing red sky and the fire. The air turned cold while it was above her but she couldn't look up. The creature was still in the sky, it hovered above her but she had her eyes closed. It beat it wings effortlessly, though the gust of wind that whipped Krinya's face was immense in pressure and it stung on her bare skin and she gasped in pain upon the impact. Dust and rubble flew into her face and she shielded herself with her arm, burying her face in her hair. The surge of cold wind was getting stronger and her body stumbled backwards, but before she could fall, it stopped and the beast landed right in front of her.

The ground trembled upon the collision of its landing on the fragile stone floor. The dragon was monumental in size, she could see that now it was only a few feet away from her. Its scales were darker than obsidian, and shined akin to glass underneath the sunlight. It creeped towards her on the claws of its wings in the manner of a predator cornering its prey, it moved swiftly as though it weighed nothing, yet with each step the earth cracked and broke. It's muscles uncoiling; shifting underneath its scales, which seemed to ripple over its prodigious form.

An overwhelming sense of foreboding took over Krinya when the dragon decided it was close enough; It opened it's jaw wide but before it did anything else, Krinya  launched herself to the side, jumping behind a nearby stone fence to shield herself from the wrath of the fire.

"YOL - TOR SHUL" The dragons penetrating scream was unlike anything she had ever heard before. Its breath burnt everything in its path, laying waste to anything unlucky enough to be in its way. As it made to launch itself back into the sky, Krinya ran back down the path, wasting no time. _I've got to get out of here._

Shallow breath. Burning lungs. Her legs were starting to become numb but nevertheless she kept running; balls of fire landed all around her, the smell of burnt bodies stained the once crisp clear air, she jumped over rotting corpses and lifeless bodies, concentrating on nothing but escaping - and trying not to collapse. She ran through the pandemonium, ignoring the people screaming for assistance and those who were half crushed underneath buildings shouting to help them out. Survival was the only thing she knew, and to survive you couldn't get attached. _Never get emotional, emotions kill you. They tear you apart from the inside out and when people find the thing that you hold most dear to you, they'll find a way to use it against you and one day you'll wake up with nothing and all those you once loved will be gone._ The words of an old friend echoed in Krinya's mind. She repeated it over and over again in her head, she had to - her home was being destroyed. Krinya knew she shouldn't have been surprised, everything she loved had been taken from her, why would her home be an exception?

Stopping in her tracks, Krinya only just avoided running into an Imperial soldier who was talking to a boy, maybe nine or ten years of age. Krinya looked over the Imperials solder - the boy was standing in front of another body. _What's going on?_

A familiar thundering boom came from the sky and just as Krinya looked up, the dragon landed again. Birds flew from the trees in fear and the villagers who had been running in that direction now frantically changed courses. The little boy was still standing there, frozen in fear. The dragon was right in front of him and Krinya knew what would happen if he didn't move soon, she had barely escaped herself. The imperial soldier pleaded louder for the child to come to him. Krinya couldn't watch, the dragon would obliterate him. She made a split second decision to run past the Imperial and towards the boy. As she got closer to the child, Krinya noticed the body he was standing before. She _knew_ him.

The dragon opened its jaw wide - an action Krinya knew all too well. She scooped the boy in her arms only to hear a mummer from the body

"That's it son, make me proud."

Krinya pushed the lump in her throat back down and ran as fast as she could back to where the soldier was, the dragons fire burning Krinya's shoulder as she turned the corner. She screamed in pain and fell over, using herself as a cushion for the boy - who once in safety, dashed out of Krinya's arms without a word and ran towards an old man who in turn, held him tightly.

"You still alive, prisoner?" The voice strayed Krinya's attention away from the small boy. "Stay with me if you want to stay that way." The soldier who tried to get the boy to move was the same Nord man in the Imperial light armour who called out the names at the execution. Krinya followed his lead, evading the balls of fire that fell from the sky and jumping over burnt corpses. Ulfric had cut off her binds but she was still clad in scratchy rags which grazed against her injuries, making her run slower than usual, but still fast regardless. They ran past a ton of guards who shot arrows at the dragon over and over again, but no arrow would pierce it.

"Stay close to the wall!" The soldier shouted.

Krinya reacted immediately, she pushed her back to the cobblestone wall that they were running beside and tucked her stomach in. The ground shook again and the stone of the wall crumbled when the dragon landed on top of it. It's wings loomed over Krinya's face and she tried not to breathe. _I would appreciate not being burnt to death at this moment._ After disintegrating a group of villagers, the dragon swooped back into the sky.

"We should head for the keep! Others will have gone there as a means of escape!" Krinya shouted over to the Nord soldier and lead the way.

Upon arriving at Helgen Keep, Krinya saw Ralof running towards the same Keep she was. He stood in front of the keep and stared at the man behind Krinya.

"Ralof! You damned traitor. Out of my way!" The Nord soldier that Krinya had been with was now in front of her facing Ralof. She stood back, observing the confrontation and watching the sky.

"We're escaping Hadvar, you're not stopping us this time." Ralof called at the soldier - Hadvar - sword drawn and stance defensive. _Old friends probably._

"Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" Hadvar ran past Ralof. "With me prisoner, lets go!"

Krinya stood stationary, she didn't want to follower him.

"You, come on this way!" Ralof motioned to Krinya to follow him into the Keep. That was a decision she was comfortable with. Noticing that Hadvar had already gone into the Keep without her, Krinya ran towards Ralof and took the door in her hands as he entered. Half her body in and half out, Krinya looked back at the inferno she was leaving behind, a ruined town, stained with burnt bodies, ash and bones. Crumbled down buildings and destroyed foliage. The dragon was still circling around the village. Thick, dark clouds covered the sun and clouded the distant mountains. The trees blazed bright like torches, dragon fire covered all and what was once her home was now ash and dust. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bit too much fun writing this chapter. Dragons are cool.
> 
> UPDATE: When I started uploading these chapters, i had already more or less finished the story with over 30 chapters. My computer freaked out on me and all of my work got deleted, which is why I haven't uploaded in AGES. If I continue this story, I'm gonna have to write it all again so please bear with me. It takes so damn long.  
> In the meantime I'll do some sort Dragon Age and Mass Effect stuff so if you guys wanna read my stuff look out for that soon. I'm busy with school at the moment but I'll try my best to upload whenever I can. :)


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